


The Art of Manipulation

by firechant



Category: The Avengers (2012)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-17
Updated: 2013-09-10
Packaged: 2017-12-15 06:09:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/846207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firechant/pseuds/firechant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set immediately after The Avengers and before Iron Man 3, Loki seems decidedly unworried by his supposed defeat.  Tony Stark realizes the reason behind Loki's defeat, and discovers that it was a victory all along.  In short, wacky hijinks ensue in New York, and Loki and Tony start trying to unravel each other's plans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Subtlety

Mortals were so unbelievably _easy_ to manipulate.

Well, he supposed Thor was also a stupidly easy target, but Thor associated with Midgard so much that Loki figured their susceptibility just sort of rubbed off on him.

But it was all he could do, sitting there bound and gagged in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, not to collapse in an unending fit of laughter. Because blind as they were, they couldn’t see that he had _won_. That, from the moment the Chitauri had come through the portal, there was no way for him to lose.

Only one facet of his plan had failed. But that had been an unlikely hope, a wayward dream. He had left so many clues as to his true intentions, had all but shouted his plans, but still the humans thought he was actually planning to rule over some ruin of a planet. Stark had almost figured it out. He had come so close.

No matter now.

He opened his eyes as he felt Romanov walk into the room. The Black Widow, the one who thought she’d played him, who thought she had discovered his plan. Did the humans really lack any degree of subtlety at all? He had been poking at Banner from the moment he ventured onto the ship. It was a shame he hadn’t gotten a more amusing reaction from the Widow when he had attacked her verbally, but he supposed it was good to know that at least _one_ of these humans had some degree of skill at emotional control and manipulation.

Romanov spoke to the guards outside his cell (whom Loki had made every effort to thoroughly disturb through nothing but knowing, murderous stares) and said, “Take him upstairs. Thor’ll bring him the rest of the way.”

The guard whose face Loki could see wore an expression that was equal parts relief and trepidation. Relief: we don’t have to guard Loki anymore. Trepidation: we have to escort him upstairs. Loki wished his entire face were visible, but he settled for fixing him with a gaze that communicated his insane smile. The man visibly withered. Loki would have cackled if he were able. The guard didn’t need to worry. Loki would cause no trouble until safely secured in a cell back in Asgard. Only then would he break free, proving once again that the Aesir were incompetent.

The door slid open, and Loki allowed the guards to manhandle him out of the room. It was adorable, really. Even with his magic uncomfortably bound by his restraints, he could still overpower everyone here physically without breaking a sweat. He supposed if the Avengers got involved it might get a little messy.

As they walked him toward the elevator, Loki decided which face he would wear upon seeing his brother…Thor…and the other avengers. Should he play the cowed prisoner, surrender in his eyes? It might serve amusing if only because he knew none of them would believe it – it would leave them wondering what his plan was. Or perhaps the arrogant eyes of one who doesn’t believe himself defeated? He wasn’t sure what they would make of that. As the elevator doors opened to a foyer filled with Avengers, Loki settled on completely impassive, his eyes devoid of any emotion at all.

Yes, this was definitely correct. There was no reaction from Romanov, Fury, or Barton, as expected. The soldier out of time was looking at him with a hardness he hadn’t expected. The beast was, unfortunately, nowhere to be found. Stark met his eyes for a moment, then shook his head and looked away. Interesting. Thor’s reaction was priceless – his face visibly crumpled from satisfied to devastated in less than a second. Loki was sure this reminded him of his childhood face after some particularly mean-spirited prank. The face he wore when he impassively awaited Odin’s ruling, only to cause even greater mischief with his next act. Thor couldn’t even pretend to be friends with him when he wore this face. Internally, Loki chuckled.

Even with the overarching plan to mess with Thor, it was the little things that really brought pleasure in life.

Banner finally emerged from a different door, and Rogers began his feeble attempt to rally his troops.

“Well, um, Thor, would you like to take him back?”

A look of dismay crossed Thor’s face. He stared at Loki’s face for a few seconds, then announced to his team, “The Tesseract will work better in a large open space. Perhaps we could leave from outdoors.”

Romanov “tch”ed, Fury shook his head, Barton remained expressionless. Rogers nodded. Banner looked down with this expression that just said “really?” and Stark just rolled his eyes at Loki and Thor.

Such obvious falsehoods Thor spoke. Loki wondered whether the other Avengers were just humoring him, or if their insight into others’ motivations was just so poor that they actually couldn’t see the lie. Given his previous experiences, he wouldn’t be surprised to find the latter to be true.

They all went along with it for some reason. Loki bristled a bit at being led around by Thor, but at this point it didn’t really matter what they did.

What did Thor see in these mortals? For a moment he yearned to understand it, but this was quickly replaced by the usual disdain. What, did Thor think he was somehow making him better by walking him through a park before dragging him back to Asgard? Adorable. He hoped his scorn didn’t show in his eyes.

After a couple minutes, Thor was apparently satisfied, and offered him the other handle of the case holding the Tesseract. Loki couldn’t believe it. It was growing difficult to maintain his indifference when people just _handed him_ the item they were attempting to keep from him. Nevertheless, he grabbed the handle, and promptly found himself hurtling through a blue tunnel at high speed.

This form of travel suited him ill. The Bifrost had been uncomfortable enough, with its whirling colors and whooshing of _something_ going by his ears, but this portal was downright unnatural, the blue fire-like emanations of the Tesseract curling around his body without his permission. He much preferred his own paths through space, the void tunnels he navigated by his own will as he teleported.

In only a moment, it was over, and Loki found himself and Thor standing on the end of the remains of the Bifrost.

They hadn’t yet tried to rebuild it? Or perhaps they had, but had failed? Loki would need to find out before his departure – he had no intention of giving up his monopoly on travel between the realms.

Thor took him to a pair of guards, who took him to a cell. He felt his magic become even further suppressed when he entered, then breathed a sigh of relief when one of the guards unlocked his gag and walked away, sealing him in the room.

It was certainly a luxurious cell, even by Asgardian standards – carpet, bed, even a bookshelf with titles Loki didn’t spare a glance for. Loki wondered how long they planned to keep him there.

Loki lounged back on the bed, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. Though he would appear relaxed and unconcerned to all who observed him, he gave himself no mental break – he set himself to work poking and prodding the magical boundaries of this room.

_Just like the collar, my active effects remain, but I cannot manifest any new power. The room is more stifling than the collar, though. Perhaps I have spent longer under its dampening effects? I shall have to take my leave from here quickly if I am not to suffer lingering ill effects. I wonder when Odin will show up?_

Right on cue, Odin stepped through the glowing boundary that was the door. Loki didn’t open his eyes, didn’t even move from his position.

“Loki,” Odin said by way of greeting. Loki, petulantly, said nothing.

Odin told him everything he expected to hear. Loki’s traitorous actions put the entire realm in danger. Why had he attacked Midgard? Was it really a childish whim that caused him to attack a planet under Thor’s protection?

At that last statement, Loki finally spoke, though still maintained his pose and his closed eyes. “So it’s official then? Thor has offered his protection to Midgard?”

Loki could picture Odin’s eyes (well, eye) narrowing. “Yes. Why?”

“He’s doing a terrible job.”

“You’re hardly worthy to comment on the subject of protection.”

“I really don’t see why I’d want to extend my hand to any realm at all.”

“Allies, Loki, are something that you’ve always underestimated. Midgard did summon its heroes, after all.”

“The Avengers? You consider them worthy allies of Asgard?” Loki was unable to control the change in his voice – it was critical that Odin accept this for the plan to move forward.

“They certainly proved their worth in the battle against your Chitauri.”

Loki winced a bit at that – _your_ Chitauri – but pressed on. “Allfather, how ever did Thor manage to pull such allies from a world with so few that are worthy of the name?”

Odin paused for almost a full minute. “You mean to tell me that only with your intervention on Midgard did Thor ensure its survival.”

Loki grinned widely and sat up. _You have no idea, Allfather._ “Most entities summon their most valuable defenses only when threatened.”

Odin only raised an eyebrow. “Like Jotunheim?”

Loki flinched internally, his smile still plastered on his face. “That has nothing to do with this.”

Odin turned to leave. “I will think on what you have said here, Loki.”

As Odin began walking away, Loki, his voice all innocence, asked, “How goes the rebuilding of the Bifrost?”

Odin turned back around. “The Bifrost will not be rebuilt.”

Loki allowed his genuine surprise to show. “Why? I should think that Thor would need easy transport to Midgard.”

“We managed to send Thor back to retrieve you. We can do it again.”

Had Odin found a new means of transportation? Or were they relying on the Tesseract? “Then you will no longer have such a destructive force at your disposal? None will be able to do what I attempted to do to Jotunheim?”

“No, Loki. Such a monstrous thing will never again be attempted.”

Loki laid back down. “I see. And what of the Tesseract?”

“It will be locked away where none can ever use its power for evil.”

So Odin’s new transportation didn’t depend on the Tesseract. This warranted further investigation. “Why not destroy it, if you’ll never use it?”

“The time will come when we must use it.”

Another of the Allfather’s visions. Or perhaps, Frigga’s. “I pray that Asgard will defend it better than the mortals did.”

Odin left without another word.

_That went relatively well, Loki mused. Hopefully I have planted the seeds of doubt in his mind. He doesn’t need to think that my intentions were good, he just needs to think that some good has come out of my actions. I gave him three: the arrival of the Avengers, the removal of the destructive power of the Bifrost, and the return of the Tesseract. He is pondering it, despite his skepticism. The next step is escape. I already have the means, in Thor._

His lip curled up in a sneer as he thought of his almost-brother. _You and your allies will have to improve dramatically if you are to defeat the force that awaits Earth. How well will your protection serve the Earth against the force that will follow mine? How powerful are you next to me, when my actions will lead to your pet world’s destruction? But that destruction will come only after the Allfather sees the potential that Midgard could offer, and after he begins relying on you to defend it. He may oppose the destruction of a world like Jotunheim on principle, but he will never forgive a protector who allows the fall of a world that has allies to offer._

_And I will be blameless. I, after all, and “my” Chitauri were defeated! In fact, my arrival on Midgard summoned a powerful force that might serve to defend both Earth and Asgard. My actions brought the Tesseract back to Asgard and destroyed Asgard’s ability to wantonly destroy planets at its whim. I caused Thor to grow from an idiot to…well, a slightly less idiotic leader. I killed Laufey to prevent Odin’s murder and prevent Jotunheim from plotting against Asgard any further. I alerted Heimdall to the fact that he cannot see everything. Asgard will surely see that it has benefited from my actions._

_Surely at least Odin of all people will get it. I thought the Avengers might have understood it as well, but that path is closed now. Ah, well. Best not to think of it._

Feeling extremely satisfied, Loki allowed himself to fall asleep.

“Loki?”

Loki awoke, startled. Why had he not felt anyone coming? He reached out magically, attempting to identify the intruder, but came up against a black wall that pushed back and smothered him. He was drowning. He was drowning!

“Loki.”

Strong hands shook him, hands that gripped too tightly but nonetheless held him from the blackness. What magic had him thus bound?

Of course. The magic dampening. He realized that in his struggling, he had fallen off of his bed. Thor’s hands were clasped tightly around his shoulders. Loki prevented the smirk he felt from rising to his face. All the better that Thor think him addled and weak from the magic-dampening properties of this room.

“Loki!”

Loki took a breath, then said, “Ah, Thor. To what do I owe the...honor?”

“I wish to talk about Earth. Loki, what has come over you? Did you truly want to rule over Midgard? What drove you to this?”

Loki sighed and waved his hand, trying to display disdain rather than frustration. “Always the same questions. Try thinking for yourself for a change. Why _would_ I attack Midgard?”

Thor frowned. “You always wanted to rule. I suppose it was Midgard just to spite me?”

Loki resisted the urge to hide his head in his hands. Why could no one _see_?

“Thor, I tried my hand at ruling and found it an ill-fitting glove. Surely you remember the events that led to my fall.”

“So when Asgard proved to be too much of a _challenge_ you tried your hand at ruling ‘lesser’ beings?”

 _Ugh. He’s as bad as the mortals._ “You know, one of my titles is _Liesmith_. And you think I would go to a planet filled with beings as consequential as ants, boldly proclaim my true intentions, and then meekly await my capture and return to Asgard?”

Thor frowned. “You’re hiding something.”

“I’m always hiding something,” Loki snapped. This wasn’t going as planned. He wanted to play Thor’s guilt at allowing this to happen, not vent his frustration at him.

Loki took a breath and regained his composure. “But yes, it was Midgard just to spite you. Still, they performed admirably. You managed to stop me, capture me, and lock me in this room, leaving me to drain away. I shall docilely await Odin’s punishment, which will no doubt come long after this room has robbed me of my power and my mind.”

Thor frowned at that. “Brother, I would have had you at my side in victory. Not locked in opposing sides so that I must look at your defeat.”

“Don’t call me brother, you’ll disrespect your father,” Loki mockingly chastised. “I’m sorry, Thor, but there just isn’t any glory to be had for me by your side.”

“There is no glory in your being held here, either!” Thor protested.

“Feh. Get out of here, Thor. Go enjoy your feasts and your festivals, and celebrate with the heroes of Midgard,” Loki responded, putting as much hurt and derision into his voice as he could. “There’s no reason you need to look at me here, where I’ve so little power I doubt I could light a _torch_. Congratulations, you’ve beaten me. Now get _out_.”

Thor recoiled as if Loki had struck him, and walked out the door with his head hanging.

Loki beamed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well it's about time I finally posted this to the internet at large. It was written shortly after The Avengers came out, and I have to print this before Thor 2 comes out and ruins all my plans. :D


	2. Bait

Something was bugging Tony.

He wasn’t sure what it was, and it had been at him since before the big fight in New York. He had had this sort of thing before, when he set his mind to a particularly difficult problem. But before the Loki fiasco, he hadn’t been forced to hang out with other people on a regular basis. Apparently his demeanor changed completely when he was in problem-solving mode. Pepper was the only one that would have mentioned anything about it before, and she had left a few days ago after – well, he wasn’t going to dwell on that.

Natasha was the first to speak to him about it. She cornered him after breakfast a few days after Loki and Thor had left. “Something bothering you?”

Tony, who hadn’t been listening, almost ran into her in his attempt to leave the kitchen. “What?”

“I asked if anything was bothering you.”

“No? I mean, there’s the whole cleaning up the city bit and I still don’t have a working suit, but other than that…Why?”

“You seem a bit preoccupied.”

Tony just shrugged it off. He spent the next several hours in the lab, working on the next suit. It was always easier for him to think when he was working. He was in the middle of trying to figure out how to create a stable process to synthesize a lighter material when a loud voice shook him from his work.

“TONY!”

Tony jumped about a foot. “Bruce! Jesus, you scared me.”

“Tony, I’ve been standing here for more than a minute.”

Tony laughed. “Sorry, man, I just get into my work. What’s up?”

“Nothing much, we just wanted to know if you had dinner plans,” Bruce explained.

“Nope. Pepper’s out for the week, she says I should train myself to remember to eat.”

“In that case, I’m happy I came down to ask.” Bruce and Tony went back down to the common area to meet the rest of the Avengers. They ended up ordering Chinese food in. Tony delayed dinner for an additional five minutes while he signed all the napkins the delivery girl had brought for her friends.

The next day, Tony knew his brain was working in high gear, because it took Steve more than twenty pats on the shoulder to get his attention. Steve suggested they all chill out with a movie, and Clint wryly suggested _The Incredibles_. Tony agreed, if only to enjoy a superhero scenario that _didn’t_ leave a trail of destruction that they had to clean up themselves. The five Avengers found themselves laughing along with the script, and the thing that had been bothering Tony continued to scratch at him. What was it? Something just wasn’t sitting right. They finished the movie, laughing about the entire scenario. When had movies begun to resemble real life?

“No kidding,” Clint laughed. “Syndrome’s plan was as good as any supervillain’s. Remember the drone testing? Win or lose, he still gets good battle info and the superhero doesn’t know what’s up. He really didn’t care about those first superheroes at all.”

Tony sat up stock straight. Natasha noticed the deer-in-headlights look and sobered immediately. “Tony? What’s up?”

“He didn’t care about those first superheroes at all. He just manipulated them into giving him exactly what he needed.”

Bruce laughed. “It was a good plan, too. Man, Tony, I didn’t know you took your movies so seriously.”

“No, don’t you get it? He didn’t care. Any outcome would have been good for him. The con was getting the heroes to accept the premise of the employment.”

Natasha frowned. “What’s your point?”

“How many times did Loki mention that we mortals were inconsequential?”

Steve’s face darkened. “Plenty, but he was obviously delusional,” 

“No, no, it’s not just that. His plan was _terrible_. Like, there was no way he was coming out on top. Either we beat him, or he leveled the Earth and had nothing to rule over. And he’s supposed to be an avatar of cunning and intrigue or something.”

“Tony, did you see how obviously he was crying for attention? Mostly from Thor, but still,” Steve argued.

Tony was on a roll now. “Right, and he’s not going to cover it up? I’m pretty sure he’s the god of lies too. I noticed this once before, right before he threw me out a window.”

The others in the room just looked at him.

“Didn’t anyone else find it odd that he never tried to kill any of us at a time when we could have actually _been_ killed?”

Natasha raised her hand. “Actually, I’m pretty sure he tried to shoot me off one of those chariots.”

“Okay, sure, but come on, look. Thor told us Loki’s adept at plenty of kinds of magic, including fucking _teleportation_ , and he just invites himself to a slugfest with the Hulk? And then, after he’s been bruised up a bit, he doesn’t use his powers to, say, escape, he just lets himself get taken back to Asgard?”

Everyone’s faces fell a bit as they considered it.

“Clint, didn’t you say he managed to snatch one of your arrows out of the air?” Tony challenged.

Clint grumbled a bit. “Yeah. The explosion was almost as satisfying, though.”

“So he can see well enough to catch an arrow but he didn’t see that we were trying to shut down the portal? Successfully?! Good grief, he even stabbed Thor without killing him. We’re missing something here. We’re missing something big.”

The entire room sat in a silence that was broken in the goddamn weirdest way possible when the DVD’s menu popped back onto the screen.

“I think we should call Fury. I think Loki’s planning something much bigger. And we fell for his plan completely.”

Steve went for the phone immediately. Fury must have picked it up on the first ring because it took less than five seconds for Steve to start relating all of this into the phone. “…yes, sir, and that probably also explains why he wanted to be on the ship. Well, sir, I would say contact Thor, except we don’t have any way to do that. Yes, and the Tesseract is there too. What? You don’t suppose that Asgard…?”

Tony paled. Were the alien invaders now heading for Asgard? Which potentially had no idea they were coming?

Steve went on: “Well, if Thor and Loki are anything to judge by I’d say Asgard should be okay against Loki. Yes, sir.” He hung up the phone without another word. “He says just continue on as normal until Thor comes back.”

“A whole week? Loki’s probably busy picking the locks on whatever the Asgardians use as a prison,” Clint pointed out.

“Well, we can’t contact Thor unless he comes back, and Fury doesn’t seem to think Loki’ll come back here.”

Tony snorted. “Right, because we’ve clearly proven ourselves effective at guessing what Loki is up to.”

Steve just sighed. “Look, just go along with it, okay? There’s not a whole lot we can do about it even if he does decide to come back.”

Tony felt the beginnings of an idea pulling at him. He stood up and walked quickly to the door. “I’ll be in the lab,” he said, and disappeared into the elevator.

 _I need to figure out what his next move is,_ Tony thought. _How could I have been so stupid?_ The elevator dinged open at his lab. “Jarvis?” he asked?

_“Sir?”_

“Bring up that information on Loki that S.H.I.E.L.D. gave us. And anything else you have?”

_“You would be referring to the more…confidential files on Mr. Laufeyson?”_

“Anything you can get. And bring up the surveillance from when he was captured.”

_“Already done.”_

Tony rubbed his temples as various images and files popped up on screens all around the lab. He skimmed a few paragraphs and then had a thought.

“What do we have on Loki’s relationship with Thor?”

 _“Mr. Odinson informed S.H.I.E.L.D. that the two of them were brothers on Asgard, and were great friends until quite recently.”_ A few relevant interviews popped up on the screen next to Tony. _“Norse mythology, though not entirely accurate from what Mr. Odinson has told us, informs us that Mr. Laufeyson has historically been a strong enemy of Mr. Odinson. S.H.I.E.L.D.’s file on Mr. Laufeyson questions his mental health in regards to Mr. Odinson.”_ More images and files popped up on various screens, including a rather hilarious shot of a nervous Loki in a helicopter shortly after a bolt of lightning had signaled Thor’s arrival.

Tony just looked at that face for a minute or so, trying to decipher the emotions contained there. There was fear, yes, but also excitement. Tony could almost, almost see a grin concealed by Loki’s face.

“Has he ever been to Earth before?”

_“There are no recorded incidents of Loki coming to Earth before recent events.”_

“Why would he attack us then?” Tony couldn’t explain it, but he thought the room might have gotten a bit quieter as he asked the question aloud. Maybe he was just honing in on something important.

_“Our criminal fashion sense?”_

“I suppose he _could_ have wanted to rule,” he remarked, not even listening. “Thor did mention something about a failed attempt to take the throne of Asgard.” But something about the idea just felt off. Loki’s actions didn’t make sense from a trying-to-claim-the-throne perspective. “But it makes more sense as a giant screw-you to Thor. Like he’s breaking his brother’s new toys. Only why get himself captured?”

He was pacing. Jesus, when was the last time he had paced unironically? “Unless he’s not done, and he just wants to be away from Earth for what happens next. But he still wouldn’t need to get himself captured for that, he can get back to Asgard himself. Hmm.”

It was like the entire room was holding its breath. Tony finally snapped his fingers with success. “There’s more coming. With Loki defeated, Odin can’t blame him for whatever comes next. Earth is destroyed, Jane Foster dies, Thor has failed at protecting Earth, and Odin has only Thor to blame. Hell, he’ll probably even think Loki helped us by gathering the Avengers. Jesus, Loki really has it in for Thor. Jarvis, call Fury.”

_“I can’t, sir.”_

“Sorry, what?”

_“I am unable to call Director Fury.”_

Tony felt a flicker of fear he couldn’t quite pin down. “Then call the Avengers.”

“Haven’t you figured it out yet, Stark?” The soft, arrogant voice made Tony jump about two feet off the floor. He whirled around to see someone he really hadn’t hoped to ever see again standing by the window, idly poking around the cabinets.

Loki was standing there looking no worse for wear. He was dressed exactly as he had been when S.H.I.E.L.D. had had him in a cell a week ago, and he had the creepiest grin on his face.

_“Sir, I am unable to contact the Avengers either.”_

“Yeah, yeah, I kind of expected.” Tony spoke the first words that came to mind, trying to act cool despite the fact that fucking Loki was here, Tony didn’t have a working suit at the moment, and there was really nothing to stop Loki from just killing him right then and there. “So, here I thought Thor’s buddies might do a better job keeping a deranged psychopath locked up.”

“Asgard has never had the capability to restrain me,” Loki sniffed. He set down the wrench he had been examining and walked into the room to face Tony properly.

“So, uh, what are you doing here?” Please tell me you’re not here to throw me out of a window again.

“Well, I must first congratulate you.” Loki’s smile was the goddamn most condescending smirk Tony had ever seen. “You managed to finally piece together a bit of the plot. Bravo.” Tony couldn’t put his finger on it, but there was something in Loki’s voice that he thought the mocking couldn’t quite mask. Anger, perhaps? Frustration?

Loki went on. “Mind you, I didn’t think it would take this long, but I suppose the mortals really are worse than the Aesir. I shouldn’t complain, it makes my job quite a bit easier.”

“Your job.” God, Tony, get it together.

“Hmm,” Loki hummed his assent. “But until the proper army arrives, I daresay the Avengers might actually manage to rise to the level of a nuisance if they took it upon themselves to hunt me down.”

 _The proper army. Hooo, boy. At least he doesn’t look like he’s out for blood right now._ “Well, hate to disappoint. It’s not the first time I’ve been told I’m a buzzkill.”

Loki looked bemused. “Yes, I suppose I shall have to take care of that before I depart.” Then his demeanor changed from amused to murderous faster than Tony would have thought possible, and he practically flew across the room at Tony.

Tony bolted for the door, but without the suit, he wasn’t nearly fast enough. In only a few seconds, Loki had grabbed him by the throat and was holding him down to the table. Tony tried to ignore the constricting of his throat, kicking and punching at Loki with wild abandon. He definitely connected several times, but Loki seemed like he didn’t even notice. Any other time, Tony would find that incredibly annoying, but at the moment he was trying not to pass out. _I guess he_ was _out for blood._

Loki grinned down at him like a madman, and then leaned down so that he could murmur quietly into Tony’s ear.

“I commend you for discovering my little plan,” he said, his soft voice clashing weirdly with the fingers wrapped harshly around Tony’s neck. “But I will not allow you to inform the other Avengers.”

Tony’s vision was rapidly fading to black. His last thought before he went under was vaguely akin to _I am such an idiot._

The next thing he knew, he was waking up, slumped against the leg of a table. His throat hurt like he had a bad cold, and holy shit he had to warn the Avengers that Loki was back.

“Jarvis,” he said, surprised to find that his voice didn’t wheeze at all, “call the Avengers.”

_“Right away, sir.”_

Tony pulled himself up and brushed some dust off of himself. Why hadn’t Loki killed him? It was like Bruce said, he was like a bag of cats.

The elevator door opened a minute or so later. Tasha had a pistol out, Clint had an arrow notched, and Bruce and Steve were also standing at the ready. “What is it?” Steve asked. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah,” Tony said. “I’m fine. But, listen, L-” as soon as Tony started saying Loki’s name, his throat closed up. A weird gargling sound emerged from his throat. Tony scrambled to be able to breathe for a moment, then began coughing and wheezing when his throat opened up enough to allow air to pass through. Bruce patted him on the back in an attempt to comfort him as Tasha handed Tony a tablet. “What is it? It’s important, I can see.”

Tony began scrawling on the tablet. _Loki is planning a larger invasion. Soon. And he’s back on Earth. He was here._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeez, I'm sorry it took so long to get the second chapter out. I have the next few written, so chapters 3-5 at least should go faster. u_u
> 
> Ah, crap, Word messed up my italics again. I'll have it fixed in a bit.


	3. Diversion

_The Black Widow stood across the glass wall of his cell. She faced away from him, but the shaking of her shoulders and the quaver in her voice revealed her fear and distress. Was she crying? How amusing. He smiled. It was the little things that truly brought joy in life. “You’re a monster,” she whispered._

_Loki laughed. Time for another barb at the beast. “Ah, no. You brought the monster.” He smiled._

_She spun around. Loki expected tears, but instead her face was calm. Satisfied, even. Loki had to admit, he was a little impressed. Not many could fool him like that. Then again, he had hardly been expecting it given his experiences so far on this pitiful world. “That’s it, then. That’s your play,” she said._

_Loki looked at her in confusion. Was that not obvious? Had they all missed the smiles, the knowing stares, the way he had called out the beast while talking to their director? Was this some ploy to get him to reveal some of his plan? He stared at her in confusion as she ran out of the room, talking quickly into her radio._

“Your cappuccino, sir,” a voice said, snapping him back into the present. He very frequently revisited memories to relieve himself of boredom, though he would have to watch himself more carefully. Earth was about to be a battleground, after all.

“I thank you,” he said, then found a moderately secluded table near the back of the coffee shop. He hadn’t changed his appearance for this little visit, and a couple of people were whispering to each other and throwing furtive glances at him.

What would S.H.I.E.L.D’s moves be when the agents arrived, he wondered? Would they try to subdue him, or would they simply evacuate the area? The time wasn’t yet right to allow himself to be captured again, but he had to check up on S.H.I.E.L.D.’s progress somehow.

The army would arrive as soon as word of the Avengers’ successful defense of Earth spread; their leader did not take kindly to defeat. The next attack would happen soon by Asgardian standards – certainly within several years – but then these mortals probably didn’t think _soon_ meant any further away than next week.

Thor would return within a couple days, and no doubt upon his return the other Avengers would inform him that Loki had returned. Loki chuckled, and vowed to make sure to witness the exchange – Thor would be utterly bamboozled. He never had been able to identify Loki’s copies. Odin might figure it out, but he most likely wouldn’t go to see Loki within the week he had to keep up the charade.

Loki wiped a bit of sweat off his brow. Despite the simplicity of the illusion he had left in Asgard, it still took a great deal of effort to maintain it across realms. Still, it would only be another couple of days.

He wondered if Stark _actually_ thought that forbidding him from uttering his name was Loki’s best attempt at forcing him not to reveal his plan to the other Avengers. He hoped Stark realized that Loki _wanted_ the Avengers to know he had returned, and that another army was coming, to see what they would do.

There was no amusement in watching an anthill, after all, if the ants weren’t motivated. And Midgard could serve as an amusing distraction for a while longer yet – no need to hasten its destruction.

Then the question was, if Stark managed to figure out what he was doing (which, admittedly, wasn’t terribly promising), what would he do?

“Looks like even supervillains need their coffee, huh?” Loki stifled his surprise as Tony Stark sat down across from him. He had been expecting Director Fury, or possibly one of his underlings. He had not expected Stark. This was a pleasant surprise.

“I find it a wondrous concoction – there’s nothing quite like it in Asgard,” Loki agreed amiably. “And when can I expect S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to break up our conversation?”

An unmistakable shudder of fear passed through Tony Stark. Ah, now that was interesting. Why would Stark come to Loki without any form of protection? Did he want to talk to Loki before S.H.I.E.L.D. could listen in? That was noteworthy.

“They probably don’t know you’re here yet,” Stark muttered. “I piggybacked on their surveillance stuff, but I have it localized. I just wanted to check a ten-mile radius from wherever I am. S.H.I.E.L.D. is searching the whole world for you. They didn’t think you’d hang around in New York.”

“Hmmm,” Loki replied. “and you didn’t inform them yourself. It’s like you’re just begging for death.” _Or,_ Loki thought, _you’re beginning to figure it out._ He banished the thought – he couldn’t afford to hope.

“If there’s one thing I am, it’s reckless,” Stark agreed, fidgeting nervously with his coffee. “But the thing is, they completely bought your latest trick, and it was getting on my nerves.”

“Oh?” Loki asked, genuinely curious as to what Stark was getting at. “Do tell.”

“So you remember last week, when your supposed plan was basically ‘smash up New York, screw with us a bit, become king’? After talking with Thor, it should have been obvious that wasn’t your plan, it was way too dumb. But we still decided to stop you as if you were following that shitty plan.”

Loki only nodded. He was getting it! Keeping his voice and face neutral, he said, “But surely you’ve all realized this by now.”

“ _That_ part, yeah, but it still took us an embarrassingly long time to get it. Now you show up in our tower, forbid me from saying your name, and everyone seems to think that that was your way of keeping me from telling them what I had figured out. It’s the same pattern – you have this dumb plan on the surface, it doesn’t take that much thinking to figure out the real plan, but still no one gets it. I mean – you didn’t even stop me from _writing_ your name for fuck’s sake!”

Loki couldn’t keep himself from smiling. There was hope yet. Stark looked supremely unnerved at Loki’s grin, which only served to make Loki's smile even wider.

“So what is my plan this time?”

“Well, I can only assume you wanted me to tell them that there’s another army coming, and that you wanted them to think you didn’t want them to know.”

Loki “hmmmmmm”ed, and leaned back further in his chair with a tight-lipped smile.

“But I’m having a hard time figuring out why you did it that way.”

“Asking the god of lies to explain his lies? Seems…risky.” Loki allowed his grin to widen.

“Well, see, there are at least four or five different _plausible_ things you could have done to keep me from telling them. Everything from knocking me out to kidnapping me or even _killing_ me, and you didn’t even have to come and talk to me at all. But no, you just keep me from saying the word L-” Stark trailed off as he wheezed a bit. “Anyway, there were things you could have done that would have at least kept me from knowing what was going on. So why do what you did?”

Stark was so close. If only he could answer his own question…perhaps. Loki might be inclined to alter some plans if Stark actually pieced it together. He’d have to nudge him toward it, apparently. “You seem to have given this some thought. Why _would_ I make such a transparent attempt? Not only at concealing the knowledge that I have returned, but in my attempt to…ah…rule the Earth in the first place?”

Stark frowned. “All I can think is that you wanted us to figure it out all along. I’m just trying to figure out how that helps you at all.”

 _He’s getting it! But, oh of course, Director, you would pick now of all times to show up._ A frown flickered across Loki’s face as he sensed a familiar presence approaching – S.H.I.E.L.D. had apparently finally tracked him down.

Loki stood, and his smile returned. “I encourage you, Stark, to pursue this line of thought on your own. I must depart, as it seems your director has caught up with me. But before I go…” Loki deliberately stood to trap Stark against the wall where he sat, and was pleased to see that the Man of Iron looked up at him with genuine fear in his eyes. Loki smirked, and held up his hands in mock surrender. “I thought I would return that which I have stolen from you,” he said innocently.

“Um,” Stark managed, “what?” Stark’s hands went to his own wrists, but found them empty. Did this imply that he didn’t yet have a new working suit? Excellent.

Loki grinned wolfishly and raised his hand to Stark’s throat. This time he didn’t squeeze, he merely pulled out the threads of magic he had left there the last time. Stark flinched and shuddered, grabbing and massaging his throat as soon as Loki’s hand left it. “Loki?” he asked, then did a double-take when he was able to say the word fully.

“Good day, Mr. Stark. Until next time.” Loki walked out of the coffee shop feeling considerably happier than he had entered it.

Loki stopped when he heard the sound of several weapons being trained on him. He glanced around, identifying his attackers. Director Fury was standing several feet in front of him, and six S.H.I.E.L.D. officers wielding guns that held suspicious similarities to the Destroyer were in a semi-circle surrounding him. He could hear Stark, behind him, take one look at what was outside the window of the coffee shop and leave via the back door.

Smart man.

The local populace was being cleared from the area by more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. Some, perhaps with more of a desire for survival than the rest, were running full-tilt away from the coffee shop. Others were fighting the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, craning their necks to get a good look at the impending fight in the street. Fools.

Loki put a mildly annoyed expression on his face and addressed Fury: “And to what do I owe this displeasure?” he asked with perhaps more venom than he had meant to use.

“I hardly think you are in a position to be asking questions. If you come with us quietly, we don’t have to do this the hard way,” Fury responded tonelessly.

Loki giggled. Amusingly, steam seemed to rise from Fury’s ears at this. “I’m sorry, director, not today.”

“Shoot him,” Fury ordered.

Six beams of light shot through Loki’s copy, and Loki’s laughter resounded across the plaza. Those who heard shuddered and walked a little faster.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! Sorry this chapter has taken so long. School started and it's been kicking my ass. We're almost out of what I'm thinking of as the 'intro chapters' and into the actual plot. Woohoo! The next update will be on or before Tuesday, September 10. Setting deadlines helps me work. :P


	4. Seduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are going to hate me for this short chapter. Sorry! More to come on or before next Wednesday, the 18th.

Tony couldn’t sleep. This was a fairly common occurrence, but the circumstances surrounding this time made it slightly more noteworthy than most nights. This time he was actually _trying_ to go to sleep, he just couldn’t seem to make his brain shut up.

Why did Loki want Tony and the other Avengers to know his plan? How did he benefit from their knowledge? Was he trying to see what they would do? Was he testing them? What for? Why had he only approached him, out of all the Avengers?

Tony sighed and rolled over in his bed. He’d just have to worry about it tomorrow. He _was_ tired, after all.

“Stark.”

What hell the fuck? “Jarvis, did someone just say something?”

“Wake up, Stark.”

_Shit._ “Lights.” As the lights turned on, Tony’s suspicions were confirmed. There was Loki, standing in the center of the room, still dressed in his casual leathers. Tony sat up, swallowing the fear that threatened to paralyze him. “What are you doing here?” Tony was suddenly very glad he had decided to actually wear pajamas that night. He stood up, too full of adrenaline to stay in bed.

“I wanted to discuss our earlier conversation that was so rudely interrupted by Director Fury. I have a question to ask of you.” Loki was fidgeting, Tony noticed. His hands clasped and unclasped around each other. He thought for a moment that Loki looked nervous, then discarded the thought. Loki was perfectly capable of hiding nervousness. If he looked nervous, it was because it was how he wanted to seem.

Tony tore his thoughts away from Loki's hands and focused on his words. _Loki_ wanted to ask _Tony_ something? This ought to be good. “Shoot.”

Tony didn’t think Loki had ever fixed him with a look so intense. It was the eyes. Something about them made Tony feel as though those eyes were appraising him, pulling him apart, judging his worth with finality. When Loki spoke, his voice matched the intensity of his gaze. “Do you truly wish to know the reason I have made my plans so transparent?”

Tony gulped. He didn’t know why Loki would have asked him with such intensity. “Well…yeah, I do. I can’t see how us knowing about anything helps your plan at all. And if it’s a test, what is it a test for? Just to see if we would get it? I don’t know. I’m out of ideas. So why is it?”

“You’re remarkably close,” Loki said, so quietly Tony almost couldn’t make out the sound. Then Loki shot across the room at Tony.

_Oh god, it’s just like before, when he choked me,_ was all Tony had time to think before Loki’s hand shot out for Tony’s neck –

But the hand didn’t close around Tony’s throat, it moved to cradle the _back_ of Tony’s neck and head. His other hand wrapped around Tony’s waist, and Loki _pulled_. There was suddenly no distance between them, and Tony looked up in confusion at Loki’s face. The expression was nothing like what Tony expected – Loki’s face was full of intensity, yes, but also wonder, a hint of nervousness, and mostly _want_.

There was also a darkness in Loki’s eyes that suggested nothing but cold calculation.

“You wish to know the reason I desired someone to see through my plans? _This_ is why,” Loki whispered, and then his mouth was on Tony’s. The kiss was desperate, like Loki was trying to devour him in one sitting, unsure whether there would be another. Tony was too stunned for a full minute to do anything but sit there and take it. Loki was exploring, his tongue firmly demanding entry into Tony’s mouth, and all Tony could do was think _what_ as Loki’s tongue massaged his own.

As Tony regained his ability to move, Loki released him, staring down at him with what looked like a mixture of hope and trepidation on his face. He looked down and to the side, stepping back from Tony. “I –” Loki began.

“What the _hell_ was that?” Tony asked dumbly, and _what in the hell was happening here?_ Loki looked up, sadness written on his face. _No, not sadness,_ Tony thought. _That’s resignation._ “I mean, shit, Loki -”

“I had thought it was you,” Loki said, emotion strangely absent from his voice. “It appears I may have been mistaken.” He turned away and walked a couple paces as Tony’s brain processed what was going on here as fast as it possibly could.

_What in the hell is going on here? Why is Loki here? Why would he_ \- and then it hit him. The transparency of his plans, like he was begging for someone to figure it out and call him on it. Calling for attention in the public phases of his plans. Not trying to kill any of the Avengers directly. Coming to his room in the middle of the night to, dear god, to kiss him.

Loki was lonely. Tony was struck by how obvious the entire thing was. Thor had told them that Loki was incredibly intelligent, and had probably never met an intellect to meet his own. He must have thought it was going to be Bruce for a while, what with all the comments he made about him on the ship, but somehow between throwing Tony out a window and talking to him in a coffee shop, Loki thought his hope for kinship might be found in Tony.

Without really knowing why, Tony chased Loki the couple of steps he had walked, spun him around, and mashed his lips to Loki’s to catch him in another kiss. Loki huffed a bit in surprise, then wrapped his arms around Tony, pulling them together. Every rational thought in Tony’s mind screamed _bad idea wait no stop abort_ as he deepened the kiss, pulling a bit on Loki’s hair to pull him closer. Just as Tony was about to come back up for air, Loki pulled back, eyes darting everywhere but Tony’s face.

“I…thank you, Tony Stark,” Loki said, looking flushed, and then he fucking _vanished_.

“Wait, don’t just _leave,_ you bastard –”

_“Sir, what just happened?”_ Jarvis asked. _“I seem to be missing the past two minutes of surveillance camera data.”_

“Never mind, I’m going to bed and sorting this all out in the morning.” Tony ran a hand through his hair, trying to process what had just happened. And he had the weirdest boner right now.


End file.
